Dawson MP has strong views on farm visas

THE agricultural visa which has been touted to address workforce shortages on farms is not the solution, according to Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen.

"I congratulate Prime Minister Scott Morrison on his initiative to bring together eligible Aussie job seekers with farmers in need of workers because our first option should always be to ensure Australian jobs go to Australian workers,” he said.

However, he said many farmers, in this region and others, struggled to find the workers to pick and pack fruit and vegetables.

"Farmers currently have to rely on foreign workers to get the jobs done,” he said.

"The paradox is that we also have high levels of youth unemployment in some rural communities.”

Mr Christensen said he believed that if you lived in an area where there were jobs available doing unskilled farm work, then there should be no dole available in that area until those jobs are filled.

"Mr Walker has repeatedly shared his concerns with me about the exploitation of foreign workers, particularly those from developing countries.”

"These issues need to be more adequately addressed before you even consider doing something like introducing another visa for foreign workers, an agricultural visa, and the industry should play a bigger role in achieving this.

"Most foreign workers from developing countries send all of their money back home and don't spend it in Australia thus negating any economic stimulus.

"Creating a disincentive for job seekers to simply stay on the dole is one good solution to the farm worker issue, but another solution which could also be of benefit to our tourism sector would be to liberalise our working holiday visa arrangements for genuine backpackers from developed countries like the UK and Canada.”